Being a part of VMware Explore and presenting my session the past week was a fantastic experience. It was a milestone for me, mainly because it was my first time doing a session independently. I’m really excited to share some insights about my session in this blog post.
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in a global event like VMware Explore. It’s truly an honor. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told me this would happen some years ago. I would like to extend thanks to the vBrownbag team Corey Remore (VMware Community Manager), and all the incredible people from the vExpert community team who made this opportunity possible.
My session took place during the TechTalk segment in the vCommunity area, where community members and partners showcase their sessions. These sessions are relatively short, which brought forth a challenge for me. Now, let us delve into the specifics of my session and how everything unfolded.
My presentation centered around VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery, a topic I’ve covered in my blog and even had a video Lightboard session about in the past. While I’m no stranger to this subject, presenting it at VMware Explore proved to be quite challenging.
Here is where I faced limitations:
- Slide Overload: Although my slides were well-prepared, I realized that the time constraints required me to trim down the content. Particularly, I should have cut or condensed the slides that explained why DR sites are essential. This would have allowed me more time to focus on the core content I wanted to convey.
- Nervousness and Language: Nerves got the best of me during the presentation, causing a few instances where my English slipped. I noticed this while reviewing the video afterward. It’s a reminder that practicing and building confidence can help minimize these slip-ups.
- Audience Engagement: I didn’t engage with the audience as much as I should have. My intense focus on delivering the material flawlessly made me forget to connect with those listening. This is an area where I need to improve by making conscious efforts to involve the audience.
- Time Management Panic: Midway through my presentation, I realized I had only 4 minutes left and a lot to cover. This led to rushing through slides and explanations, exacerbating my nervousness and compromising the quality of my delivery.
- Unaddressed Topic: Unfortunately, I ran out of time before properly explaining the last slides, which discussed using VCDR with an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE) for ransomware attack recovery. I wanted to delve deeper into this topic, but time constraints prevented it.
I wasn’t completely satisfied(I am always my worst critic) with my performance, and I understand there is room for improvement. At first, I thought it wasn’t too bad. I know that an unbiased evaluation should come from the audience rather than just myself. Nonetheless, I strongly believe that I could have done better, and the pressure of the situation has motivated me to gain experience and become more at ease with presenting.
The feedback from the audience survey was primarily positive, which is really encouraging. It’s reassuring to know that there were no bad reviews 🙂
I realize how important self-reflection is for my growth and personal development. I am committed to identifying areas where improvement is needed and continuously striving to excel in everything I do. This process of self-examination serves as a conversation with myself, pushing me to improve my career pursuits and life as a whole.
You can find the video here if you missed the session and are interested in watching it.
Session VMTN2191BCN VMware Explore 2023
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